Current aluminum composite material (ACM) panel attachment methods are labor intensive and require a large amount of aluminum extrusions. This makes the overall system costly when compared to other building siding materials. Also, most current systems are designed to be water-tight by means of rubber seals and/or caulking. A water-tight system is difficult to achieve in practice and does not allow for the removal of moisture trapped in the interior of the panels.
ACM panels are typically spaced between ⅜ and ¾ inches apart for aesthetics and to allow for the thermal expansion of the panels. Existing ACM systems use caulking, aluminum extrusions, or additional pieces of ACM (referred to as reveal strips) to fill in the joint gap between the panels.